Track Four (2007)

Freakscene

Looking at the underground UK bands reviewed on this site, it surprised me to notice that my personal favourites had been left out--the Computers, who hail from Exeter, like the Cut-Ups, Rat Attack and others. I first saw them a couple of years ago supporting the Loved Ones and this, their first rel...Login to Rate

Looking at the underground UK bands reviewed on this site, it surprised me to notice that my personal favourites had been left out--the Computers, who hail from Exeter, like the Cut-Ups, Rat Attack and others. I first saw them a couple of years ago supporting the Loved Ones and this, their first release, is simply a 4.16 minute CD of two songs.

According to the band, these guys are trying â??to fuse "rock â??n' roll with hardcore," a sentiment seemingly echoed by a number of the current UKHC pack. What the Computers do so well, however, is combine old-school Black Flag and Minor Threat sound and attitude (i.e. no hint of metal or metalcore) with Chuck Berry and Elvis Costello-esque swagger and riffs. The result is an exhilarating one, like an English Bronx, or a Black Flag/Hives hybrid on meth. The tracks on offer here serve as a blink-and-you'll-miss-it introduction; "Track Four" is their live staple, equal parts twang and crunch, whilst "Is It Just Me?" offers a more varied, mid-paced experience (though it's still pretty fast).

I urge anyone in the UK to check these guys out live--I've watched them get steadily better and better over the last couple of years, and hopefully they have the potential to rise to the level of bands like Ghost of a Thousand, or even the mighty Bronx.